1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to securing fixtures, and more particularly to locking devices adapted to secure the end of the ladder to a tree limb.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Any labor involved in pruning or cutting back trees frequently entails hazards to the workmen, one of the more prominent hazards being associated with ladders sliding off their supporting limbs. Pruning is most often done on mature and, therefore, tall trees and the tree surgeon must therefore frequently ascend the large heights in order to reach the new growth which is to be thinned or cut back. To provide the necessary reach, most often very long ladders are utilized which on the lower end rest on the frequently uneven ground produced by the root growth and which furthermore on the upper end are supported by limbs very rarely arranged in even geometric orientations.
In the past various devices have been developed for securing the ladder to the supporting limb. Most often such devices have taken the form of a hook or similar configuration, attached to the upper end of the ladder which is then manipulated from the bottom to engage a limb. The large dimensions of the ladder utilizing such hooks or similar fixtures precludes convenient manipulation and the workmen often, in the interest of conserving time, assume the risk of less than perfect engagement.